Also: Joby Takes On Uber Elevate, SkyHawks Season Cancelled, MQ-25 Test, JetBlue A220

It was quite an explosion...shortly after the launch of a SpaceX Starship prototype to 40,000 feet. The steel rocket prototype that SpaceX hopes will be used to put human on Mars had a successful launch and for a few minutes everything was looking good until -- reignition of the Raptor rocket engines to a targeted landing. It came SO close to working this time around. But... the final approach appeared to show problems with getting the engines up to full thrust, followed by what appeared to be one or more failures... a

Adventurous Private Pilot Will Put $2,500 Award Toward Instrument Rating

Cory Gordon had two dreams while growing up in Virginia - to live in Alaska and to become a pilot. After graduating from high school, she said goodbye to her family and moved to Alaska. While Gordon had an interest in flying airplanes from a young age, it was experiencing general aviation as a way of life in Alaska that inspired her to take a discovery flight in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Gordon would go on to earn her Private pilot certificate in Anchorage. Now Gordon, a current resident of Phoenix, Arizona, is the recipient of Sporty's latest $2,500 flying scholarship awarded through her membership in Sporty's Flight Crew program.

The Induction Ceremony Will Take Place On March 12, 2021

WAI has selected the 2021 inductees for its International Pioneer Hall of Fame. These women will be honored during the Virtual 32nd Annual International Women in Aviation Conference, which will be held March 11-12, 2021. The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, March 12, 2021.

AVOs Will Operate Carrier-Based MQ-25 Stingray UAVs Expected To Start Appearing In 2024

The Navy announced a new warrant officer specialty designator whose job will be to operate carrier-based MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial vehicles, which are expected to start appearing in fleet carrier air wings sometime in 2024. The establishment of the Aerial Vehicle Operator (AVO) warrant officer specialty became a reality Dec. 9 with Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite’s approval of the new designator, which was announced in NAVADMIN 315/20. Over the next 6-10 years, the Navy will recruit, train and send to the fleet, a community of roughly 450 warrants in grades W-1 through W-5.

From 2014: Simple Solutions Allow For More Efficient and Versatile Cockpits

While at the AEA Southern Regional Convention 2014, ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, went in search to find a solution for a key aviation concern. That concern is: where can you plug in a USB charger in your aircraft? It seems in this modern day of aviation that finding a place to keep your PED charged is almost as important as flying the aircraft. Jim’s quest brought him to Tim Fidler, the Mid-Continent Instruments Eastern Regional sales representative. Mid-Continent Instruments a

AMA Successfully Got An Educational Provision Written Into The Act

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021 has been passed by the House of Representatives and is expected to be passed by the Senate soon. AMA successfully got an educational provision written into the act, which permits operations as part of an educational program that is chartered by a recognized community-based organization (CBO), such as AMA or as an established JROTC program for education or research purposes.

Certain COVID-19 Vaccines Require A Temperature Of -70°C (-94°F) For Proper Preservation

Noting that dry ice is widely used in aviation to keep perishable goods cold as they traverse the supply chain, the FAA has published a SAFO (Safety Alert for Operators) to urge caution in flying larger amount of freight using this cooling system. When properly vented and shipped in small quantities, dry ice poses little risk to aircraft occupants. However, when a large amount of dry ice is involved, sublimation can cause serious risks. The sublimation of dry ice occurs when it passes directly from a solid state to a gaseous state at temperatures higher than -78° C (-108.4°F), under normal atmospheric pressure.

They Saw The Airplane In A Left Bank Just Prior To The Nose Dropping

On September 20, 2020, about 1050 central daylight time (CDT), a Piper PA-46-310, N236KM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hilltop Lakes, Texas. The commercial pilot and 3 passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. While in cruise flight at 19,000 ft mean sea level (MSL), the pilot declared an emergency to air traffic control (ATC) and stated that the airplane had lost engine power and that he needed to divert. The pilot elected to divert to Hilltop Lakes Airport (0TE4), which was about 5 miles south of his position.

AD 2020-21-16 Requires Repetitive Ultrasonic Inspections Of The Upper Wing Skin

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 747-100, 747-100B, 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, 747-400, 747-400D, 747-400F, 747SR, and 747SP series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a determination that the upper wing skin at engine nacelle points may be subject to undetected cracking. This AD requires repetitive ultrasonic inspections of the upper wing skin at certain engine strut positions for cracking; repetitive detailed and ultrasonic inspections of the strut lower spar fitting, diagonal brace strut end clevis, and diagonal brace wing attach end clevis for cracking; repetitive detailed inspections o

Aero Linx: The NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) The NZ Agricultural Aviation Association (NZAAA) is a Division of the Aviation New Zealand. NZAAA was the first division of the Aviation Industry Association(AIA) being founded in 1949. In fact, it was called New Zealand Aerial Work Operators Association until the other divisions took up membership. The aim of the NZAAA is to provide an environment where its members can prosper in safety. Agricultural aviation means the use of aircraft in the application of agrichemicals and fertilisers in agriculture, including forestry and horticulture, although it extends beyond that for example with the pest eradication operations carried out i

Omnidirectional Approach Lighting System-ODALS Omnidirectional Approach Lighting System consists of seven omnidirectional flashing lights located in the approach area of a nonprecision runway. Five lights are located on the runway centerline extended with the first light located 300 feet from the threshold and extending at equal intervals up to 1,500 feet from the threshold. The other two lights are located, one on each side of the runway threshold, at a lateral distance of 40 feet from the runway edge, or 75 feet from the runway edge when installed on a runway equipped with a VASI.

"Today’s flight landed beautifully, with pilots, planes, and spaceship safe, secure, and in excellent shape — the foundation of every successful mission! Our flight today did not reach space as we had been planning. Seeing firsthand how our pilots brought Unity in for a picture-perfect landing after an off-nominal condition confirmed this approach. I am even more confident that this is the level of safety that consumers will want and will be expecting from us. As we do with every test flight, we are evaluating all the data, including the root cause assessment of the computer communication loss. We look forward to sharing information on our next flight window in the near future." Source: Virgin Galactic CEO, Michael Colglazier,